• Josh Brolin is in talks to play a villain in Oliver Stone's Wall Street 2. But isn't the villain supposed to be the recession?
• Jon Favreau debuted the first Iron Man 2 footage at Comic-Con. War Machine made his first appearance in the clips shown to the geek faithful.
• Robert Downey Jr. will join Zach Galifianakis in the comedy Due Date, from director Todd Phillips.
• Kevin Feige, President of Production for Marvel Studios, revealed the line-up for the upcoming Avengers movie. What, no Wonder Man?
• David Cronenberg will tackle the screenplay for Cosmopolis, and likely direct the adaptation of Don DeLillo's novel. Considering what he did with Crash, it's safe to say it won't be a straight-forward adaptation.
• Spirit Pictures is developing a King Kong prequel. Dare we hope for Baby Kong?
BIZ
Scene Stealer: The Web Is Pouncing on Hollywood's Ratings
from NYT > Movies by By BROOKS BARNES
The way studios rate movies is coming under fresh attack via independent ratings organizations on the Web.
Directors Worry: DVDs Down, Piracy Up, Industry Is Defensive
from The Wrap RSS by Lew Harris
Plans announced for 3D upgrades of "Titanic," "Lord of the Rings." Despite the fanfare surrounding the unveiling of their new films "Avatar" and "District 9" at Comic-Con this past week, James Cameron and Peter Jackson say they're saddened by the current state of the film industry.
No True Winner in TV Upfront: Both Nets, Buyers Give Ground
from Advertising Age - MediaWorks by bsteinberg@adage.com(Brian Steinberg)
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Welcome to the unhappiest upfront market in recent memory: No one involved seems to be walking away with exactly what they want.
Could TV Be Bought and Sold Based on Who's Talking About It?
ESPN and CNN Think So
from Advertising Age - MediaWorks by bsteinberg@adage.com(Brian Steinberg)
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Time Warner's CNN and Walt Disney's ESPN are grappling with the idea that a TV ad should not be judged solely by the number of people it reaches, but also by how many of the people who see it are spurred to share its message with others.
Film News: Ganis' successor a mystery -- There's a job vacancy in town -- a damn good job at that -- but it's not the sort of position you can simply apply for.
Film News: L.A. times cite decline in business, others
disagree -- There was quite a bit of buzz in the 3-D community over a recent
L.A. Times blog post suggesting that auds' interest in the format was already
declining.
FESTIVALS
Directors, actors geek out with fans at Comic-Con
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by By SANDY COHEN
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Robert Downey Jr. said he wish he could don a Mexican wrestling mask and stroll the Comic-Con floor to check out all the collectible toys and geeky-cool stuff.
Comic-Con: 'Tron Legacy' Concept Footage Filled With
Lightcycle-y Goodness
from MTV Movies Blog by Adam Rosenberg
Bad. Ass. You San Diego Comic-Con goers can keep your surprise screenings and your exclusive reveals. We viewers at home have "Tron Legacy" footage and I, for one, am satisfied.
Bam! Pow! Ginormous Comic-Con is a wrap until next year
from USATODAY.com Life - Top Stories
Comic-Con, the premier pop-culture convention, continues to
lure larger audiences and bigger stars.
FILM
Weekend Box Office: July 24-26, 2009
from Box Office Mojo - Current Box Office Results
G-Force tops the box office with an estimated $32.2 million
'Harry Potter' repeats at overseas boxoffice
from Hollywood Reporter by By Frank Segers
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" gave up considerable boxoffice altitude on the foreign circuit but still remained a dominant No. 1 over the weekend.
Box Office: 'Loop' In The Money; 'Summer' Still Hot
from indieWIRE News
Armando Iannucci's well-reviewed political comedy 'In The Loop' scored in its opening weekend, according to estimates provided by Rentrak earlier this afternoon. The film - described by indieWIRE's Eric Kohn as 'the aesthetics of 'The Office' meeting those of 'The West Wing'' - grossed $200,816 from 8 screens.
Robert Downey Jr. Joins Zach Galifianakis In 'Due Date'
from Access Hollywood - Movies
Robert Downey Jr. will join Zach Galifianakis in Todd Philips' "Due Date," Entertainment Weekly reported.
James Cameron, Peter Jackson talk future of film
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by By SANDY COHEN
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- "Titanic." "Lord of the Rings." "Aliens." "King Kong." "The Terminator."
Jason Bateman says 'Arrested Development' movie is 'still going
forward'
from Entertainment Weekly's News Briefs by Josh Rottenberg
Asked at Comic-Con about the status of the long-discussed
Arrested Development movie, series star Jason Bateman said he's still amped up
to bring the cult Fox comedy to the big screen: "It's not dead. It's still
going forward....
'2012,' 'Zombieland': Apocalyptic two-fer
from EW.com: Movies
By Nicole Sperling
Nicole Sperling at Comic-Con for a double dose of Woody Harrelson promoting Roland Emmerich's California-is-destroyed movie, and R-rated horror comedy
'Extract': 'Office Space' for new decade?
from EW.com: Movies
Jason Bateman, Mike Judge, and co-star Mila Kunis show off three extended scenes from the movie, which bows Sept. 4, in San Diego
Robert Rodat, Writer of Saving Private Ryan and The Patriot, to
Adapt Foundation for Emmerich
from /Film by orfilms@gmail.com (slashfilm.com)
I sat down for a fun interview with director Roland Emmerich today, here at San Diego Comic-Con to promote 2012 in theaters (November 13. 2009).
Apatow takes on life and death -- comically -- in 'Funny
People'
from USATODAY.com Life - Top Stories
Judd Apatow risks possible life-threatening harm simply by going to work. Across the street from the filmmaker's modest office ...
Nora Ephron looks for the perfect recipe for 'Julie &
Julia'
Food, which the writer-director says is among her lifelong
obsessions, is central to the film's theme of love and marriage.
Comic-Con: Rob Zombie Swears Off Third 'Halloween' Film
from MTV Movies Blog by Brian Jacks
When Rob Zombie came by the MTV studio today, there was a lot to cover during my interview with the cult-favorite director.
Denzel Washington Would Play Barack Obama If Asked
from MTV Movies Blog by Brian Jacks
Look out Will Smith, you have some friendly competition in the race to play our
first African-American president.
Robert Rodriguez's 'Machete' Might Feature...Lindsay Lohan?
from MTV Movies Blog by Brian Jacks
"We start shooting in a couple weeks," director Robert Rodriguez said
of his "Grindhouse" spin-off when he dropped by the MTV studio at
Comic-Con.
'Octomom' signs reality-TV deal for kids
from EW.com: TV
Court documents obtained by Associated Press indicate each of Nadya Suleman's children will earn $250 per day; show begins filming Sept. 1
Cast of 'Glee' spill secrets at Comic-Con
from MSNBC.com: Television
Kanye West's "Golddigger," Salt-n-Pepa's "Push It" and
Rihanna's "Take a Bow" are featured in the anticipated second episode
of "Glee."
Fox gets a handle on a trend with reality show 'More to Love'
from USATODAY.com Television - Top Stories
Tipping the scale at about 300 pounds, Luke Conley isn't your typical reality-show star.
Furtado finds fresh inspiration for 'Mi Plan'
from AP Top Entertainment News At 11:05 ... by By DAMIAN GRASS
MIAMI (AP) -- Nelly Furtado admits that writing her new, all-Spanish album, "Mi Plan," wasn't in her plans at all after finishing a hectic tour to promote her last chart-topping record....
Sources: Paramedics found Jackson dead
from Entertainment News - UPI.com
LOS ANGELES, July 26 (UPI) -- Law enforcement sources say paramedics called to Michael Jackson's Los Angeles home found the U.S. pop singer dead when they arrived.
Foreigner betting on Wal-Mart with new release
from Reuters: Entertainment News
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Can Wal-Mart work its magic for yet another '70s rock act?
Bassey heads back to the studio
Music News: New album in the works for Bond crooner --
Shirley Bassey, who belted such James Bond themes as "Goldfinger" and
"Diamonds Are Forever" to the top of the charts, is back in the
studio again.
